Ava DuVernay departs as director of Intelligent Life

The Selma filmmaker was attached to helm the project but has exited due to scheduling conflicts, EW has confirmed. Lupita Nyong’o remains attached to star in the story of a United Nations worker who monitors outer space and makes contact with a beautiful woman that may not be of this earth.

Jurassic World director and co-writer Colin Trevorrow and co-writer Derek Connolly wrote the script, which was reworked from an earlier draft called The Ambassador.

“Dear @ColinTrevorrow, Can’t wait to see one of my favorite scripts come to ‘LIFE.’ Pun intended,” DuVernay wrote on Twitter after it was announced she had left the project. “Go get ’em, pal.”